Public domain Windows Desktop wallpaper from US National Parks

Yosemite National Park - California

There are thousands of public domain images available from the U.S. National Park Service that make great scenic view wallpaper. The images are available in high resolutions, which means they can be adjusted to fit your preferred screen resolution. I have chosen over 50 images from the archives, but there are hundreds more available from the NPS Digital Image Index.

The first image is from Yosemite National Park.

For the best results download the highest resolution image by left-clicking the small image above. In Windows, you right-click that large image and click the "Set as desktop background" menu item. The gallery was originally published in September 2010.

Arches National Park - Utah

Badlands National Park - South Dakota

Containing the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 37-28 million years old, the evolutionary stories of mammals such as the horse and rhinoceros arise from the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires.

Cape Cod National Seashore - Massachusetts

Carlsbad Caverns National Park - New Mexico

As you pass through the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas—filled with prickly pear, chollas, sotols and agaves—you might never guess there are more than 300 known caves beneath the surface.

Crater Lake National Park - Oregon

Crater Lake has inspired people for hundreds of years. No place else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding cliffs, almost two thousand feet high; two picturesque islands; and a violent volcanic past. It is a place of immeasurable beauty, and an outstanding outdoor laboratory and classroom.

Everglades National Park - Florida

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve - Alaska

Gates of the Arctic, in Alaska's central Brooks Range, is a wilderness park accessible to backcountry travelers. The park has no signs, facilities, roads or trails - travel is by foot or boat (canoe, raft or kayak). Traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers.

Glacier National Park - Montana

Golden Gate National Recreation Area - California

Golden Gate National Parks chronicle two hundred years of history, from the Native American culture, the Spanish Empire frontier and the Mexican Republic, to maritime history, the California Gold Rush, the evolution of American coastal fortifications, and the growth of urban San Francisco.

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve - Colorado

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Tennessee, North Carolina

Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park - West Virginia

A visit to this quaint, historic community, at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, is like stepping into the past. Stroll the picturesque streets, visit exhibits and museums, or hike our trails and battlefields. There's a wide variety of experiences for visitors of all ages, so come and discover Harpers Ferry.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Hawaii

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution -- processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture.

The Marine Corps War Memorial - Virginia

The Marine Corps War Memorial stands as a symbol of this grateful Nation's esteem for the honored dead of the U.S. Marine Corps. While the statue depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II, the memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in the defense of the United States since 1775.

Lincoln Memorial - DC

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument - Montana

This area memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their way of life. Here in 1876, 263 soldiers and attached personnel of the U.S. Army, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer, met death at the hands of several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors.

Mammoth Cave National Park - Kentucky

Mammoth Cave National Park preserves the cave system and a part of the Green River valley and hilly country of south central Kentucky. This is the world's longest cave system, with more than 365 miles explored.

Montezuma Castle National Monument - Arizona

Gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a 1,000 year-old story of ingenuity and survival in an unforgiving desert landscape.

National Mall & Memorial Parks - DC

Officially established in 1965, National Mall and Memorial Parks actually protects some of the older parkland in the National Park System. Areas within this premier park provide visitors with ample opportunities to commemorate presidential legacies; honor the courage and sacrifice of war veterans; and celebrate the United States commitment to freedom and equality.

Olympic National Park - Washington

Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. Roads provide access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways - Missouri

Two of America’s clearest and most beautiful spring-fed rivers make up the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first national park area to protect a wild river system. The Current and Jacks Fork Rivers wind through a landscape of rugged hills and towering bluffs.

Padre Island National Seashore - Texas

Located along the south Texas coast, Padre Island National Seashore protects the longest undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world. Here, you can enjoy 70 miles of sandy beaches, wind-carved dunes, vast grasslands, fragile tidal flats, and warm, near shore waters.

Petrified Forest National Park - Arizona

With one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils, this is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science.

Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

This living showcase of the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, with elevations ranging from 8,000 feet in the wet, grassy valleys to 14,259 feet at the weather-ravaged top of Longs Peak, provides visitors with opportunities for countless breathtaking experiences and adventures.

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway - Minnesota, Wisconsin

Statue of Liberty National Monument - New York

Located on a 12 acre island, the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.

Sunset Crater National Monument - Arizona

Thomas Jefferson Memorial - DC

The words of Thomas Jefferson, some written more than 200 years ago, have shaped American ideals. Today, many of these impressive, stirring words adorn the interior walls of his memorial. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial stands as a symbol of liberty and endures as a site for reflection and inspiration for all citizens of the United States and the world.

United States Capitol Building - DC

The United States Capitol is a building that serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It is located in Washington, D.C., on top of Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall.

USS Arizona Memorial - Hawaii

The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor is "ground zero" where World War II began for the United States. The event where Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto stated: "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..."

Virgin Islands National Park - Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands National Park’s hills, valleys and beaches are breath-taking. However, within its 7,000 plus acres on the island of St. John is the complex history of civilizations - both free and enslaved - dating back more than a thousand years, all who utilized the land and the sea for survival.

President's Park The White House - DC

Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

Yosemite National Park - California

Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area - Nevada, Arizona

About Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.

Full Bio

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.